Redstone Arsenal Officials Stay on Top of Safety & Security Protocols

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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) -- Monday's Navy Yard shooting is shining a spotlight on security and gate access protocols that are in place at military installations across the country. That is including right here in the Tennessee Valley at Redstone Arsenal. Arsenal officials said base security, now more than ever, is still their top priority.

"I can assure you that, here at Redstone Arsenal, we are in accordance with Secretary Hagel's direction to review our processes, see where our vulnerabilities are, making sure that we're in accordance with all the DOD regulations," said United States Army Colonel Bill Marks. There are two initial security measures at Redstone Arsenal: gate access, and security clearance. Gate access is granted to military service members, their families, and federal and contracted workforce.

"All of our commercial vehicles that enter the post have to enter through Gate 1," said Colonel Marks. "We're set up there to inspect the driver, the manifest, and their cargo."

Security clearance is different from gate access. It deals with the level of information you are allowed to be exposed to. "You have to have a legitimate 'need to know' as determined by the information authorization," he said. "But just because you have a particular security clearance doesn't mean you meet the 'need to know' criteria."

On average, 43,000 vehicles a day come onto the Arsenal. That's a lot of people to keep track of. "Security is my number one concern here on the Arsenal and the events at the Navy Ship Yard really underscore as to why that is."